Dispensing device

ABSTRACT

A cabinetlike dispensing device is provided, for containing rolls of wrapping products, such as metal foil, plastic wrap, waxed paper and the like. The cabinet also has provisions for carrying an additional roll, for example of paper towels suspended therebeneath.

United States Patent Harvey, Sr.

[ 5] Feb. 15,1972

1541 DISPENSING DEVICE [72] Inventor: Wilfred G. Harvey, Sr., GreenBrook, NJ.

[73] Assignee: Globe Rubber Products Corp., Philadelphia, Pa.

[22] Filed: Oct. 10, 1968 [21] Appl. No.: 766,459

[52] US. Cl ..3l2/37, 312/40 [51] Int. Cl ..B65h 19/04 [58] FieldofSearch ..312/37, 39, 348, 40, 41, 300,

156] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Curry ..242/55.2

2,905,404 9/ l 959 Simmons ..242/55.2 2,647,577 8/1953 White ....312/39X 2,386,408 10/1945 Schiff ..242/55.3

- 2,246,342 6/1941 Brown .312/311 X 118,968 9/1871 Newton ..312/40221,307 11/1879 Hirsch ..312/348 Primary Examiner-Bobby R. Gay AssistantExaminer-Peter A. Aschenbrenner Att0rney-Paul & Paul [57] ABSTRACT Acabinetlike dispensing device is provided, for containing rolls ofwrapping products, such as metal foil, plastic wrap, waxed paper and thelike. The cabinet also has provisions for carrying an additional roll,for example of paper towels suspended therebeneath.

7 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEUFEB 15 I972 3. 642.336

SHEET 1 BF 3 I INVENTOR. Wilfred 6. Harvey, Sr.

Y fwz m ATTORNEYS.

PAIENIEDFEB 15 m2 SHEET 2 [1F 3 III/II/I/IIIII l [I I l I I l I I I I II I III I/// R3] INVENTOR.

Wilfred G. Harvey, Sr- WWA M ATTORNEYS.

DISPENSING DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In recent years, it hasbecome commonplace that kitchens of today's households generally containvarious assortments of wrapping material for various purposes, such asthe wrapping of food products against spoilage for refrigeration, thewrapping of sandwiches, and similar functions, generally directed towardthe prevention of food spoilage and the maintenance of kitchencleanliness. .Examples of such wraps are metal foils, such as aluminumfoil, plastic wraps such as that type known by the trademark Saran-wrap,and waxed paper, all of which are generally purchased in sheets whichare wrapped about cylindrical rolls and stored in rectangular cardboardboxes, such boxes generally having a metal or cardboard toothed edge forsevering a strip of sheet material to desired length upon grasping afree end of the material and unrolling'the same within the box.Generally the storage of a plurality of individual such rolls presents aproblem, in that, for example, ones hands could be wet .or greasy, forexample holding a freshly cut piece of meat, head of lettuce, or thelike, and one then desires to wrap the same in .a suitable sheet ofpaper. Often, it is inconvenient to open cabinet doors to look for theappropriate wrapping material, which, when found, often requires twohands to remove a sheet of desired length therefrom. Accordingly, thereis present a need for freely dispensing kitchen wrapping material, thesolution to which the present invention is particularly directed.

Also, it has become commonplace in kitchens to utilize rolls of papertowels and the like, which must be freely accessible, generally forpositioning above a sink or the like.

THE PRIOR ART Permanent containers for rolled wrapping materialshavebeen developed by the prior art, wherein such materials maybe readilydispensed therefrom, and the rolls replaced as necessary, but suchcontainers have been relatively cumbersome and difficult to operate.Such containers are equally cumbersome with respect to replacing rollsupon their completion. Furthermore, prior art devices have requiredseparate dispensers for each individual type of wrapping material, whichgenerally becomes unsatisfactory, in requiring an inordinate amount ofroom in the kitchen, if several types of wrapping material are desired.Also, some of the prior art types of dispensing containers have had afacility for containing more than one roll of product, but have hadfacility for dispensing only a single such roll at a given time.Accordingly, the utility of such devices is extremely limited.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION device of virtually all customarily rolledkitchen products, at a singular location, and in a singular cabinetarrangement.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to providea novel dispensing device in the form of a cabinet or container, whereina plurality of rolls of rolled product may be retained within a singledispensing zone or cell within the cabinet with each roll being mountedpreferably at its ends for rotation thereof during dispensing of sheetmaterial from the roll, and with each roll being positioned for readyremoval of material therefrom, even concurrently if desired.

It is another object of this invention to accomplish the above object,wherein the cell or containing zone is a drawer, forwardly slidable intoand out of a 'cabinetlike member.

It is another object of this invention to accomplish the above objects,wherein the device carries means externally thereof for rotatablydispensing an additional product, such as paper towels, therefrom.

It is a further object of this invention to accomplish the aboveobjects, wherein the drawer has a pivotaltray disposed for carrying anunrolled portion of a roll of wrapping material carried therein, thetray being provided with a slot for threading the material therethrough,to overlie the tray.

It is a further object of this invention to accomplish all of the aboveobjects, wherein novel mounting means are provided for the rolls, forspring-loading the same, wherein at least one mounting means in eachpair has a telescopically movable portion.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readilyapparent to one skilled in the art from the following brief descriptionof the drawing figures, the detailed description of the preferredembodiment, and the appended claims.

IN THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of the dispensingdevice of this invention, wherein there is illustrated a cabinet havingdepending sidewalls attached thereto, for carrying a roll of sheetmaterial therebeneath, wherein there is received a drawer, in-

closed position.

, FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the cabinetlike device of FIG. 1,with the drawer removed therefrom, wherein a pair of wrapping rolls areillustrated contained within the drawer, with a tray carried by thedrawer being illustrated in an upwardly tilted position.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view through the cabinetlikedispensing device of this invention, taken generally along the lineIll-III of FIG. 1, wherein the assembly details of the variouscomponents of the device of this invention, and their relationships tothe several wrapping rolls carried thereby, are clearly illustrated.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view through the cabinet of this invention,wherein there is illustrated the roll-containing drawer of thisinvention and its pivotal tray, taken generally along the" I line IV-IVof FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view through the cabinet of this invention,wherein there are particularly illustrated the stops carried by thedrawer which limit the forward movement of the drawer relative to thecabinet, this view being taken generally along the line VV of FIG. 3.

ponents of the roll-mounting means illustrated in FIG. 6,

wherein the structural details thereof are readily apparent.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, reference is first made to FIG.1, wherein there is illustrated the dispensing device of this invention,generally designated by the numeral 10.

The device 10 includes a cabinet 11 and a drawer 12.

The cabinet 11 includes a top wall 13, end walls 14 and 15, a'rear wallportion 16, a front wall portion 17 and depending sidewall portions 18and 20, which respectively depend from sidewalls l4 and 15. A rear wallconnecting portion 21 is provided, connecting opposite sidewalldepending portions 18 and 20. Y

The two rear wall portions 16 and 21 are provided for attachment of thedispensing device 10 to a kitchen wall, or the like. An adhesive-typefastening tape may be provided, in the form of strips, extendingalongthe rear wall fastening portion 16 and 21, between the oppositecabinet sides, the tape normally being provided with a protecting strip(not shown) which may be removed for installation of the device 10 byexerting firm pressure inside of the wall portions 16 and 21, to

secure the cabinet 11 to a wall. In the alternative, screw-typefastening devices (not shown) may be used for hanging the cabinet 11 ona wall, if desired. 7

The top wall 13 of the cabinet 11 is configured to define a recess orhollow portion 22 therein, which has been designed to carry otherarticles, for example, a kitchen radio or the like.

Mounting devices 23 and 24 are carried respectively by associatedtransverse supports 25 and 26, each of which extends between the frontwall 17 and a lower portion 21 of the rear wall, inwardly ofrespectively associated depending sidewall portions 18 and 20. Themounting devices 23 and 24 carry a roll R of paper towels therebetweenfor rotation and removal of towels as desired, with a free end of the Iroll extending downwardly beneath wall 17 of the cabinet, as illustratedin FIGS. 2 and 3.

A pair of drawer supports 27 and 28 are provided, attached inwardly ofrespective sidewalls l4 and 15, for slideably carrying the drawer 12thereon, at opposite ends of the cabinet 11.

The drawer 12 includes a front wall 30, a rear wall 31, opposite endwalls 32 and 33, and a bottom wall portion 34.

The front wall has a knob or pull 35 attached thereto, for opening andclosing the drawer 12, as desired. A pair of opposed cutting edges 36and 37, comprising metal or plastic teeth or the like, define the upperand lower edges of the drawer front portion 30, respectively, forfacilitating the severing of rolled products to be dispensed from thedrawer 12, to desired length.

The bottom portion 34 of the drawer 12 includes an elongated strip 38connecting drawer sidewalls 32 and 33, with transverse strip 40connecting the drawer rear wall 31 with the strip 38. A pair of stopmembers 41 and 42 are provided extending forwardly of the strip 38,toward the front wall 30 of the drawer 12, with the stops 41 and 42having respectively associated depending portions 43 and 44 carriedthereby, but spaced from the drawer front wall 30 a desirable amountsuch as that illustrated in FIG. 3, for limiting the forward movement ofthe drawer 12 between that position illustrated in full lines in FIG. 3,and the phantom line'position illustrated in FIG. 3. Such forwardmovement of the drawer 12 is limited by engagement of depending portions43 and 44 of respectively associated stops 41 and 42 with the upperinside edge of the cabinet front wall 17, as illustrated in phantom andFIG. 3. When it becomes desirable to tear off a sheet of material fromone of the rolls R and R carried inside the drawer 12, the knob 35 maybe grasped for opening the drawer 12 a slight amount until an edge ofthe desired sheet of rolled material may be grasped. The drawer 12 maythen be shut to the fullline position illustrated in FIG. 3.

Should it be desired to change or replace one of the rollsR, or R suchthat it becomes necessary to entirely remove the drawer 12 from thecabinet 1 1, the person effecting such a roll replacement may open thedrawer 12 to the amount illustrated by the phantom line position of FIG.3, in which the stops 41 and 42 engage the upper inside edge of thecabinet front wall 17, such a person then inserting a finger or the likeupwardly between the roll R, and the cabinet front wall 17, to engageeach of the stops 41 and 42, which are sufficiently resilient to beurged slightly upwardly an amount that will permit their respectivedepending portions 41 and 42 to clear the uppermost edge of the cabinetfront wall 17, whereupon the entire drawer 12 may be removed from thecabinet 11. A tray 45 is provided, pivotally carried by the drawer 12,by engagement of pivot pins 46 and 47, carried by the tray 45, withinadjacent drawer sidewalls 32 and 33. Thus, the tray 45 is free to pivoton its pins 46 and 47, between the vertically upwardly disposed positionillustrated in FIG. 2 and the horizontal disposed position illustratedin FIG. 3. The tray 45 comprises a flat member 48, having forward andrearward depending portions 50 and 51, extending throughout the traylength, between the drawer sidewalls 32 and 33.

A pair of tray stops 52 and 53 are provided, at opposite ends of thetray 45, protruding outwardly from a forwardmost edge of the tray 45,near the forwardly disposed depending portion 50 thereof. The stops 52and 53 are adapted to engage within associated respective recesses 54and 55, upon pivoting of the tray 45 from the position illustrated inFIG. 2, to that illustrated in FIG. 3, whereby the tray 45 may besecured in a horizontal position, after loading of the drawer 12 withrolls R, and R An elongated slot 56 is provided, extending betweenopposite ends of the tray 45, adjacent the rearwardly depending portion51, the slots 56 being provided in the flat or generally horizontalportion 48 of the tray 45. A centrally disposed arcuate portion 57comprises a part of the slot 56,

the arcuately cutout portion 57 being provided to facilitate a user inthreading a sheet S of wrapping material from an associated roll R Thesheet S is threaded, as illustrated in FIG. 3, to be removed from theroll R when rotated in a counterclockwise direction as illustrated inFIG. 3, with .the sheet S, traversing beneath the rearwardly dependingportion 51 of the tray 45, through the slots 56, into overlying relationto the flat portion 48 of the tray 45, and outwardly of the cabinet 11,between a forward portion of the cabinet top wall 13 and the uppermostedge of the drawer front wall 30, as illustrated in FIG. 3.

The roll R is mounted for rotation in a clockwise direction as viewed inFIG. 3, with portions of its sheet S normally engaged between the loweredge of the drawer front wall 30 and the upper edge of the cabinet frontwall 17, with the drawer l2 and its closed position. I

In order to remove a portion of the sheet S of the roll R the drawer maybe opened slightly for grasping of the outermost edge of the sheet S bythe user, with the drawer 12 then being preferably closed, and the sheetS being withdrawn leftward, as viewed in F IG 3, to a desired length.The free end of the sheet S is then drawn downwardly, for severing ofthe sheet S along the cutting edge 36. Similarly, when the sheet 5;, isto be cut off from the roll R to a desired length, the drawer is openedslightly for grasping of the free end of the sheet 8 and drawing thesame outwardly away from the front wall 17. With the drawer then closed,the sheet 8;, is drawn upwardly, for severing of a portion of the sheetS along the cutting edge 37.

The rolls R and R are rotatably carried within the drawer 12 by suitableroll-mounting means 60, 61, 62, and 63, carried by associated adjacentdrawer sidewalls 32 and 33. Each of the mounting means 60, 61, 62, and63, is adapted to engage within a cylindrical recessed portion at theend of the roll to be carried thereby, in wedging engagement with theend of an associated roll R or R Such roll engagement by its mountingmeans is clearly illustrated in FIG. 6, wherein the mounting means 63 isin engagement within a recess 64 of the roll R Each of the mountingmeans 60, 61, 62, and 63, is substantially identical in construction toeach of the mounting means 23 and 24. Each such mounting means comprisesa first hollow, generally cylindrical boss 65, protruding from thedrawer sidewall 33, toward the opposite drawer sidewall 32. The boss 65has an annular radially outwardly protruding ring 66 at its free endthereof, and has a bore 67 therein which receives a compression spring68. A ringlike member 70 is provided comprising a cylindrical sidewall71, having slits 72 and 73 therein, extending inwardly from oppositeends thereof to provide a desired amount of resiliency to the member 70,with opposite ends of the member 70 having radially inwardly protrudingportions 74, and radially outwardly protruding portions 75. The member70 is adapted to be telescopically slidable from the outer surface ofthe boss 65, with the inwardly bent end portions 74 thereof adapted toengage the radially outwardly extending portion 66 of the boss 65, forlimiting the axial movement of the members 70 away from the drawersidewall 33.

A roll-engaging member 76 is provided, comprising a disk 77 which has abore 78 thereof for receiving the member 70 therein, in axially slidablerelation, with the member 77 being limited in axial movement along thenumber. 70 by engagement of radial innermost bore portion 78 thereofwith the radially outwardly protruding portions of the member 70.

The member 77 also includes a plurality of circumferentially arrangedtapered surface portions 80, extending inwardly of the ring 77, forwedging engagement within a hollow end portion of an associated roll, RR or R with each wedge portion 80 terminating inwardly in a taperedportion 81, and connecting end wall 82. The radially innermost portionof the end wall 82 has an axially recessed portion 83, about which oneend of the spring 68 is seated. Thus, each of the roll-mounting means 63has a double telescoping arrangement, for axial movement of thecomponents outwardly away from an associated one of the rolls, againstthe actionof a spring 68, for removal and replacement of the rolls.

It will be noted that the parts illustrated, for example in FIG. 6 and7, are of plastic construction, for economy of manufacture, with theexception of the spring 68, but that such components may be of any othersuitable construction as desired. Also, while the mounting means means63 illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 has been described as pertaining tomounting means for each of the rolls R and R at opposite ends thereof,it will be noted that such mounting means are virtually identical to themounting means 23 and 24 at opposite ends of the roll R with thesingular difference that bosses 65 thereof would be carried bysupporting members 25 or 26 when such mounting means are used to supporta roll R Also, while, with respect to a given one of the rolls R R and Rthe mounting means at each end has been described so as to be identical,it is to be understood that it is conceivable, within the realm of thisinvention, that one of such mounting means at one end of a roll could befixed, and only one such mounting means at the opposite end of the rollcould be telescopically axially movable, for replacement of a roll, asdesired.

The various elements of the cabinet 11 and drawer 12 have been describedwithout particular reference to the material of construction. However,it will be understood that suitable plastic and metal materials, as wellas others may be used, as desired, but that plastic construction isbelieved to be the most economically feasible.

In the particular arrangement of the dispensing device illustrated, theroll R has been illustrated as being a roll of for example, papertowels, with the rolls R and R being illustrated as being wrappingmaterials. It is also to be understood that in addition to the two rollsR and R illustrated, it is conceivable that a third roll could beprovided, similarly mounted within the drawer 12, with the drawer l2constructed to be sufficiently deep to house such a third roll, if thesame were desired.

It has also been found to be desirable, when inserting rolls into thedrawer 12 of this invention, that the rearwardmost roll R be of sheetplastic film, if any such roll is to be of plastic film. The forwardmostroll R would then be of aluminum foil, or waxed paper, as desired. It isto be understood however,

that various rearrangements may be made in the rolls, without departingfrom the spirit of this invention.

While the above has been described as a preferred embodiment of thesubject matter of this invention, it will be readily apparent to oneskilled in the art that various modifications may be made in thestructural details, details of assembly, and manner of use of the deviceof this invention, without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A dispensing device for rolled household products of differentdiametral sizes constructed for wall-mounting, comprising a cabinethaving a drawer slidably mounted therein and movable forwardly andrearwardly relative thereto, with two pair of internal rotary mountingmeans carried by sidewalls of said drawer, with one said pair beinglocated forwardly in said drawer and the other being located rearwardlyin said drawer to provide means for end-mounting two rolls ofindividually dispensable product each of substantially the length of thedrawer and of substantially the same diameter, with external rotarymounting means being provided, fixedly carried beneath said cabinet,with said external mountin means bein located generally between andbeneath said orwardly an rearwardly positioned internal mounting meansin the closed position of said drawer, to provide means for carrying, inhanging relation, a roll of dispensable product of the same generallength as the products to becarried in said drawer, but of substantiallygreater diameter.

2. The dispensing device of claim 1, including attachment means on saidcabinet for securing said device to a wall.

3. The dispensing device of claim 1, including a generally horizontallypivotal tray mounted across a frontal portion of said drawer betweensidewalls, and including a longitudinal slot means therein extendingsubstantially the length of said drawer for threading dispensableproduct therethrough.

4. The dispensing device of claim 1, wherein said cabinet is providedwith a horizontal upper shelf disposed above said drawer in the closedposition thereof.

5. The dispensing device of claim 1, wherein each said vertical mountingmeans comprises two telescopically movable spring-biased members.

6. The dispensing device of claim 1, wherein said drawer is providedwith a front panel having upper and lower edges, including serrations onsaid upper and lower edges of the front drawer panel.

7. The dispensing device of claim 1, wherein said drawer is providedwith a front panel and including stop means at the bottom of the drawerfront panel for engagement with said cabinet for limiting forwardmovement of the drawer out of the cabinet.

UNITED STATES PATENT UFFECE CERTIFEQAEE GE i- 0 Patent No. 3, 642, 336 ad February 15, 1972 Inventor(s) Wilfred G. Harvey, Sr.

It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent andthat said Letters Patent are hereby Corrected as shown below:

Col. 5, line 4, change "R, R or R" to ---R R Or R Col. 5, line 17,change "mounting means means 63" to '--mounting means 63--.

Col. 5, line 19, change "R and R' to -R and R Col. 5, line 21, change"R" to --R Col. line 24, change "R" to --R Col. line 25, change "R, Rand R" to --R R and R Col.

Col. 5, line 39, change "R" to ---R 5, line 40, change "R and R" to ---Rand- R Col. line 42, change "R and R" to ---R and R3---,

Col. 5, line 49, change "R" to ---R Col 5, line 50, change "R" to ---RSigned and sealed this 29th day of August 1972.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD MJ LE'ICHERJR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK th stinfl Officer Commissionerof Patents FORM PO-1OSO (10-69) USCOMM-DC 60376-P69 a u.s. GOVERNMENTPRINTING DFFICE: I969 0-365-334

1. A dispensing device for rolled household products of differentdiametral sizes constructed for wall-mounting, comprising a cabinethaving a drawer slidably mounted therein and movable forwardly andrearwardly relative thereto, with two pair of internal rotary mountingmeans carried by sidewalls of said drawer, with one said pair beinglocated forwardly in said drawer and the other being located rearwardlyin said drawer to provide means for end-mounting two rolls ofindividually dispensable product each of substantially the length of thedrawer and of substantially the same diameter, with external rotarymounting means being provided, fixedly carried beneath said cabinet,with said external mounting means being located generally between andbeneath said forwardly and rearwardly positioned internal mounting meansin the closed position of said drawer, to provide means for carrying, inhanging relation, a roll of dispensable product of the same generallength as the products to be carried in said drawer, but ofsubstantially greater diameter.
 2. The dispensing device of claim 1,including attachment means on said cabinet for securing said device to awall.
 3. The dispensing device of claim 1, including a generallyhorizontally pivotal tray mounted across a frontal portion of saiddrawer between sidewalls, and including a longitudinal slot meanstherein extending substantially the length of said drawer for threadingdispensable product therethrough.
 4. The dispensing device of claim 1,wherein said cabinet is provided with a horizontal upper shelf disposedabove said drawer in the closed position thereof.
 5. The dispensingdevice of claim 1, wherein each said vertical mounting means comprisestwo telescopically movable spring-biased members.
 6. The dispensingdevice of claim 1, wherein said drawer is provided with a front panelhaving upper and lower edges, including serrations on said upper andlower edges of the front drawer panel.
 7. The dispensing device of claim1, wherein said drawer is provided with a front panel and including stopmeans at the bottom of the drawer front panel for engagement with saidcabinet for limiting forward movement of the drawer out of the cabinet.